


Where No One Knows the Name of Gatsby (and how great he is)

by IvyCpher



Category: Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (2013)
Genre: Boats and Ships, First Kiss, Florida, Gay Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby Lives, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Running Away, Smoking, Trains, bisexual jay gatsby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:21:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23250859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IvyCpher/pseuds/IvyCpher
Summary: After the murder of Myrtle, Nick convinces Gatsby to run away to Florida. Gatsby agrees only after Nick offers to go with him.
Relationships: Nick Carraway/Jay Gatsby
Comments: 18
Kudos: 209





	1. Chapter 1

"You ought to go away," Nick said, exhaling cigarette smoke through his nose and watching Gatsby from the faint, rising light of the sun that was coming through the open French windows. "It's pretty certain they'll trace your car."

"Go away  _ now _ , old sport?"

"Go to Atlantic City for a week, or up to Montreal." Even as Nick said this, he knew that Jay wouldn't agree. It was too early, but Nick couldn't risk it. It was enough for one person to have died already, and in a place like New York, he just knew that it was easy for one death to turn into plenty more.

It was the morning after Myrtle Wilson's death, and the inside of Gatsby's mansion smelled musty of death and loneliness. Everything was heavy with dust, even the air that Nick took into his lungs. The dust in the air did not couple well with the smoke from Nick's cigarette and it made his eyes water as he bit back the cough that was attempting to escape his throat.

Nick didn't want to lose Jay. Even if he loved his cousin Daisy, Nick couldn't help it for how he loved Jay. It was a queer feeling that gripped his heart harder than any of the more or less fragmented and fake feelings he had convinced himself to have for women for the whole of his life. And even though it hurt, Nick knew that loving Jay while he was in love with somebody else was better than loving the memory of him should he die.

"Or if those places don't suit you, why not Florida?" Asked Nick hurriedly before Jay could respond to his first idea. He didn't even know where the thought of Florida came from. It was a wild and far away suggestion, but those were the ones that Jay loved the most.

This, Nick could see, had caught Jay's interest. His hand stopped as he raised the cigarette to his lips and he turned to look at Nick. He was smiling softly and it was both a sad smile and a happy one at once. Like the smile of a father at his daughter's wedding. Nick had never seen Jay wear such a smile, but with how things were it seemed to suit him. "Florida?" Jay asked, almost as if he had never heard of the state.

"Plenty of things in Florida. Plenty of oranges and sand. Just as good as New York." Nick dropped his unfinished cigarette in the empty humidor between them. He exhaled slowly and focused his eyes on the soft golden light streaming through the windows and the flecks of dust floating freely in it. He couldn't bear to look at Jay. "You could do it, you know, and do it quick." In his mind, Nick saw Meyer Wolfsheim and wondered if he had ever suggested to anyone to skip town after an accidental death. 

There was silence between them for a moment in which everything seemed to slow, even the free falling dust motes seemed to gradually stop falling until it felt like they froze in the air, stuck in time.

"And if I go to Florida, Nick," Jay said slowly, his voice was unsure. "What would I do?" He took a final drag of his cigarette, the end blazing orange and then quickly crisping into a short stick of ash. He dropped it in the humidor beside Nick's. "Who would I go with?" He asked quietly and his question seemed to unpause everything. The dust in the air floated again. "I'm tired of being alone… A change of scenery won't do anything about that."

Nick met Jay's eyes and stood up from his chair. "I'll go with you," He said, holding his hand out to Jay. "Just you and me Jay, in the great state of Florida where no one has heard our names or knows a whiff about this whole mess."

Jay looked at Nick with an expression of surprise and for a second he thought that Jay was going to turn down his offer. But then Jay took his hand and lifted himself up from his seat with it. "Let's do it, Nick. I've seen too much of New York…" He slowly looked around and shook his head. "I think it's time to try somewhere else, even under such circumstances."

Nick blinked, he had only hoped that Jay would take his offer. He didn't know what to do or think now that he had actually agreed. He smiled and squeezed Jay's hand. "Let's do it then."

Now that they were doing it, it was actually easier than Nick had assumed. Gatsby fortunately had purchased his stock through the company Nick worked for and had him sell it all. While Nick traveled to his own house to do this and pack, he was floored by how much money Jay was going to be getting in return for his shares. He wondered if Florida was expensive of a place to live in as New York.. if so, then they would certainly need all that money. After he sold Jay's stock, Nick sold his own. He hadn't as much as Jay, but his shares had increased a decent amount since he bought them.

An hour later, just as Nick had finished stuffing most of his wardrobe into his leather suitcase, Jay appeared at the top of the steps in his room. He looked anxious, but also less sad than he had been earlier. "I made a few calls," He said, pushing back his hair. "Wolfsheim owed me a favour... He's going to help us out a bit."

Nick tried not to look unsettled by that. Wolfsheim made him uncomfortable, but since he was Jay's business partner, he never said anything about it. "Yeah?" He asked.

"He's getting us a car to drive us to the train station and he's going to take my Royce for a while." Jay shook his head, "I will miss that car." He muttered, then looked at Nick's bulging suitcase. "Are you ready to go? I had one of my men run over to the bank for me to collect some things. I closed my account."

"You- you  _ what?"  _ Nick stood up rather suddenly. "What in the world would you close your account for? How do you expect to take all of your money with us to Florida?" Although Nick had sold his stock, he had the money he received for it transferred to his bank account so that he could still use his checkbook.

Jay shrugged like he hadn't thought much about it before Nick asked him. "Well…" Then he shook his head, sighing. A sad look returned to his face. "I'll tell you on the train, Nick. It's a long ride and there's more than enough to say."

Nick opened his mouth to question Jay but then thought better of it. He grabbed his bag, "Well then… I'm as ready as I'll ever be, I suppose."

The train ride was long, much longer than Nick had thought it would be. He had never been to Florida and never really thought about the distance between it and New York, but he didn't think that that distance would amount to a 30 hour train ride. But at least, as Jay had told him earlier, there was plenty for him to say to make the time pass quicker than it would have otherwise.

Along with him, Jay brought three large suitcases. Nick didn't know what was in them and he could only guess to what their contents could be.

As Jay promised, he answered Nick's question to why he closed his bank account. But not at first. First, Jay told Nick about who he really was and his old life as Jimmy Gatz. How he worked as a boat hand on a man named Dan Cody's yacht after the war and how he fell in love with Daisy, the first ' _ nice girl'  _ he had ever met.

Then.. He spoke of how even though Daisy was the first nice girl he ever met and how he loved her more than anything, the recent events that had happened seemed to click something inside of him. Something that said that even though he loved Daisy, that she just wasn't the same person she used to be and just wasn't right for him anymore. Though it hurt, Jay knew that he had to give up on her.

Hearing that made Nick feel happier than he had been all day. Even before he started to have feelings for Jay, he was weary of his advances towards his cousin. Not because he was worried of him hurting Daisy, but because Nick knew what kind of person Daisy was. 

"And so I thought… Why stay in New York?" Jay asked while Nick was caught up in his thoughts of Jay having given up on Daisy. "I moved there for her, you know, but now… Well now there's no point in staying there. I closed my account because there's no point of your bank being in a place where you don't live." He shrugged, and looked at Nick anxiously. "You don't have to stay there with me, old sport, it was kind enough of you to offer to come with me, but I don't want to uproot you when you've just come to New York."

Blinking, Nick's mind became straight. Out went the happy thoughts of Jay being newly single and finally done with Daisy and in came sinking, lonely thoughts that made him feel horrible all over again. Sometimes he hated Jay for his sudden and impulsive ideas, but those ideas were also one of the reasons he loved him dearly. Taking in a breath with some difficulty, Nick spoke. "I don't know… New York was getting a bit wild for me." He said slowly and Jay's earlier sentiment echoed in his mind. "Maybe… Maybe Florida would be nice to live in. Besides, I'm quite sick of my cousin and her husband at the moment." He said honestly and a blush darkened his face. "I think it would be fun to live with you, Jay."

Jay's face lit up excitedly and he grabbed Nick's hand and held it tightly, "You mean it, Nick? You'll stay with me in Florida?"

Willing himself not to look at their joined hands, Nick nodded. "I'll stay with you in Florida." He repeated. "But only if you change your line of work," He added, "I'm not- men like Wolfsheim give me the creeps. Plus maybe it would be good to play things safe for a while."

Jay thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, yes maybe that would be best. Our absence won't go unnoticed in New York so maybe it'll be best if we keep quiet."

The rest of the train ride was filled with stories and recounts from the war and learnings about one another. They spitball ideas of what they were going to do once they got to Florida and what it would be like. Neither of them had been there before and didn't know what to expect besides the beach and oranges.

But as Nick looked at Jay as he chattered on about how they could buy a house boat and live happily on the ocean, he felt completely at ease and was not at all anxious for Florida and how they would live there. That was at least, as long as they  _ didn't  _ live in a houseboat.


	2. Chapter 2

For the first week or so they were in Florida, neither Nick or Jay did much. When they first arrived they were tired and sweaty and burdened with their luggage so they spent no time in buying one of those ready-to-buy houses that was owned by the state and already filled with the necessity furniture and beds. The place was coral pink and rather pricey for a two bedroom house, but that didn't seem to bother Jay because he bought it in cash without even haggling the price.

For a complete day after they arrived, they did nothing more than sleep. Neither of them had slept much on the train ride and they were dead tired. Then after they were awake enough to function, they went to a nearby grocery store and bought food stuffs and things that the house didn't have like water glasses, plates, soap, a wash tub for clothes, and a few more needed items.

In the rest of the first week they spent in Florida, Nick and Jay mostly got settled into their new home. Though they had been rather close in New York, they were not used to living with one another. And as Nick learned- Jay was out of practice with many basic household things and needed to be re-taught. And while the experience was exasperating at first, Nick thought it was funny afterwards.

It was after their first week of testing their balance in the gravity of their new life did they do anything more than run to the grocery store. They finally set out on the hunt for jobs. Nick found an open position as a journalist for some small paper that hired him on without even looking at his resume. Though the pay wasn't as much as his old job in bonds, it was nicer and gave Nick the opportunity to write more.

Jay on the other hand… took a few weeks longer than Nick to find a job, he didn't have any previous work experience nor the interest of any hiring jobs in the area. Nick tried his best to help him by bringing home the newspaper each evening and always circling the help wanted ads that looked promising. But finally, Jay got a job without Nick's help. Or rather, he  _ made  _ a job.

Jay had purchased a small fishing boat and intended to advertise it for the use of fishing trips. He would act as captain and could take people out who wanted to fish to the best fishing grounds and equip them with all they would need to catch a trophy. Though Nick was a bit skeptical about the idea at first, he had to admit it turned out better than he could have hoped.

Because while Jay's patrons were few at first with vacation season winding down, they paid by the hour and often recommended him to others. Not to mention, no matter if Jay had people lined up to book his boat or not, he always caught fish that he could either bring home or sell to someone else.

In the months that followed their impromptu trip to Florida, Nick could say that he had never been happier. Jay seemed happier too. He was tanned from his time on the boat and his hair grew darker. He cheered up and moved on past his feelings with Daisy and didn't seem bothered by her anymore. That made Nick even happier.

Nick only received one letter with a New York post stamp and it was from Jordan. He hadn't a clue how she found out his new address but he didn't really mind. In the letter she wrote to tell him that Daisy had had a nervous breakdown and confessed to the hit and run murder of Myrtle Wilson. But of course, due to her money and her name, she got off nearly Scot-free except for three months in a mental hospital to make sure she was okay after her episode. Nick found himself surprised by the letter, for the first time in a while he found himself proud of Daisy. But he also pitied her too.

Though Nick was worried that seeing the letter would reawaken Jay's feelings for Daisy, he thought that Jay deserved to know about what happened to her and what she did. Before work one morning, he left the letter on the kitchen table. When he returned home that evening, the letter was gone. Neither he or Jay spoke about it.

The next day, Jay invited Nick out on his boat.

"Come on, Nick." He asked, smiling. It was a Saturday afternoon and Nick didn't have work that day. They were sitting in the kitchen, talking over a breakfast of jellied toast and burnt eggs: Jay's specialty. "I've had her for months now and you haven't seen her once!"

It was true, Nick hadn't seen Jay's boat once since he bought it. For all he knew the thing could be painted pink and named Clementine. "What could it hurt?" Nick asked, unable to hide his smile. Though he felt like Jay's sudden need to bring him out on his boat had an ulterior motive hidden inside it, he didn't say anything about it. "Sure."

"After breakfast we'll go then," Jay said before eating a forkful of burnt eggs.

There wasn't much more to be said after that. Nick was left with his burnt eggs and a few growing curious questions in his mind. They finished their breakfast and then got dressed in cool clothes for the day before heading out.

They walked out of the house together and started down the sandy sidewalk to the docks that weren't much more than fifteen minutes away. Though a car was rather much a necessity for where they lived in New York, it wasn't one for them now. Neither of them had even set foot behind a wheel the whole time they were in Florida.

The walk to the docks was nice. The air blew in softly, carrying the scent of the sea and of fish. The sun was hot but since it was fairly early, it was still bearable and not yet too hot to stand.

"You know, I don't think I've ever been on a boat." Nick said idly as they walked along the empty path. "Not a real one I mean. I've only been on those rickety wooden fishing boats." 

Turning to look at Nick, Jay's hand brushed against his. "Really? I shouldn't be surprised but I am." He smiled and picked up his pace. "You'll love it," He ran a few steps in front of Nick and turned around to face him, carelessly walking backwards. "I'll let you drive if you'd like! It's not like driving on the road at all, it's exhilarating."

"You want me to drive your boat?" Laughed Nick, "I'd end up crashing the thing by hitting a gull or an iceberg."

Jay rolled his eyes and leaned forward to grab Nick's hand, he pulled him along. "An ' _ iceberg'?  _ Nick, this is Florida and I didn't name my boat the Titanic." He laughed and turned around, switching the hand that held Nick's. "It's fun! I'll show you!" And before Nick could even reply, Jay started to run, leaving Nick but no choice to run besides him with their hands still interlocked.

The day was hot and running made Nick feel even hotter, but the wind felt cool on his face and the joy was holding Jay's hand in such a way made him feel so good that he didn't even notice the heat. He laughed just for the sheer joy of where he was and who he was with.

Both men arrived at the docks sweaty and panting, but they were grinning nonetheless. After they had caught their breath, kneeled over amongst the bobbing boats, Jay took Nick's hand once more. "Nearly there," Jay breathed close to Nick's face before pulling him up.

Nick swallowed a lump in his throat and said nothing as he followed Jay down the twisting wooden path of the docks. There were many boats. Small boats and big boats, clean boats and filthy boats. Nick wasn't a car man, nor was he a boat man, but he still felt an odd sense of awe from being surrounded by many boats. He was so distracted by them all that he didn't even notice that Jay had stopped walking until he let go of Nick's hand.

"Here she is," Said Jay. He put his hand on the side of the boat and smiled. With his free hand he smoothed back his windblown hair. "What do you think?"

The boat was pale blue with metal safety bars going all around the sides except for the small opening of a few stairs that lead into it. It was smaller than Nick had anticipated, just big enough for four men. It had a t-top with a glass enclosure to keep out sea spray and not much out.

Nick smiled at the boat, it was a step down from all the elaborate things that Jay used to own, but he could see how much he loved his little vessel. "I think it's great. What's she called?"

At this Jay took Nick by the arm and pulled him over to the edge of the dock as close to the boat's stern as they could get. "Zelda," He said, pointing at dark black-green lettering bearing the name.

"That's an odd name for a boat."

With a shrug, Jay stepped to the side of the boat and hopped down the stairs. "I didn't name it. It came with that name, I just chose to keep it."

Nick followed Jay down the stairs and watched as he untied the boat from posts on the dock. There wasn't much he could do to help since he didn't know much about boats, but Jay looked like he had a handle on things.

Jay climbed into the t-top of the boat and grabbed the keys out of his pockets. He started Zelda up and then waved Nick over. 

Even though that part of the boat wasn't meant for two people, Nick squeezed in besides Jay and watched as Jay showed him how he drove the boat out of the docks into open waters.

The boat felt fast and far different than a car. It bobbed up and down on the small waves like a single dandelion seed in the wind. The hum of the motor was loud with the sound of splitting water but Nick loved it. He put his hand on Jay's shoulder and peered through the enclosure. They passed a few boats and Jay pointed out dark circles in the water that were actually schools of fish.

"Jay, you were right," Nick laughed, squeezing Jay's shoulder. "This  _ is  _ fun, I love it!"

Jay's eyes were bright and sparkled like the sea under them. He eased up on the gas and the motor quieted, "You think I'd ever bring you to something that you wouldn't enjoy?" He smiled and then stood up. They were close together in the small cockpit of the boat, but neither seemed to mind. Nick's hand fell off his shoulder and instead he put his hand on Nick's back to steer him out to the deck of the boat.

Nick stared out at the ocean but all he could focus on was Jay's had on his back. He breathed in and closed his eyes. Sometimes, if Nick thought really hard, he could pretend that he and Jay were together. Like now, all alone on the sea there was no one to stop him from pretending and nothing to stop his heart beating only for Jay. When he opened his eyes again, Jay was staring at him and smiling softly. "It's beautiful," Nick said, looking away from Jay to the waves so that he maybe wouldn't notice the blush in his face. "I'm almost envious now that I know that you get this view every day."

Slowly, Jay's hand crept downwards from Nick's back to his waist. "It is beautiful…" He sighed. "But there's a much better view that I know of." He said so softly that his voice might have been carried away by the whispers of the sea waves crashing gently against the boat.

Even under the hot sun, Nick felt a chill travel down his spine when Jay's hand went to his waist. He was afraid if he mentioned it that Jay would stop, and he didn't want that, instead he acted if he didn't notice. "How?" Nick looked at Jay and then gestured to the dark blue water surrounding them. Above them the sky was pale blue and cloudless and the sun was like a lemon drop shining brightly in the sky. "What possible view is better than this?"

"It's you, Nick." Jay gasped and then suddenly he was kissing Nick. With his grip on his waist he pulled Nick closer and his free hand moved upwards to up his cheek.

Nick couldn't breathe when he heard Jay say those words. But fortunately, kissing Jay Gatsby felt far better then breathing. When Jay kissed him so suddenly it felt like all of the air had been knocked clean out of his lungs and Nick stumbled just as a medium sized wave hit the boat and made it bob rather quickly. That sudden bobbing of the boat made Nick fall into Jay and push him into the metal railing lining the boat.

It was when Jay fell into the boat's railing that they split apart. They looked at each other like they had never seen each other properly. "I thought…" Nick breathed, all of the air coming back to him and filling his lungs. His head was spinning but it surely wasn't from a lack of breath. "I thought you liked women?" He asked feebly, his hand on Jay's chest.

"I like both," Jay admitted, "I like  _ you,  _ Nick." He sighed and removed his hand from Nick's cheek to brush back his hair. "And- I'm just so happy that you convinced me to leave New York. I feel that I would've always been hung up on her if I never left."

Nick's mouth was dry, but he tried swallowing anyways. "I just… I felt like something dreadful was going to happen if we stayed there. Everything was a mess."

With a slow nod, Jay sighed. "I saw the letter."

Nick couldn't think of anything to say, so he said nothing.

"She must have went through a lot after we left." Jay continued. "I feel bad that she went through that guilt all alone and just-  _ broke  _ like that. But… I don't regret leaving."

"Neither do I." Nick admitted.

And under the blazing heat of the sun, their eyes met. "I love you Jay," Nick said. He moved his hand up Jay's chest and let it hang over his shoulder. "I loved you in New York and I love you now."

The brightness in Jay's eyes dimmed, "I knew how you felt about me in New York.." He looked away. "And I still used you to get back with your cousin."

Nick used his free hand to grab Jay's face to make him look at him again. "I knew what you were doing, you didn't use me. I did it because.. Because I saw no reason not to, and then when I did love you, I did it because I wanted you to be happy."

"Nick, I-" Jay started but faltered. He pressed his forehead against Nick's and sighed. "I love you, Nick." He looked at him in that fuzzy, intimate way where people are so close to each other that they can only see their eyes.

Nick exhaled, a smile pulling at his lips. "I love you too, Jay."

In the dizzying heat of the sun, on a bobbing boat named Zelda in the middle of the sea, Nick and Jay kissed again. Though it was only their second kiss, it was far off from being their last.

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea two nights ago when I was trying to sleep and here we are! Nothing's more romantic than running away with the person you're in love with!
> 
> Comments are very much appreciated!


End file.
